Israeli NBA star Deni Avdija scores 41 as Portland Trail Blazers secure playoff spot

Israeli basketball player Deni Avdija stepped up in a big way for the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday morning, scoring 41 points, with 7 rebounds and 12 assists, to lead his team to a 114-110 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

The victory sealed Portland’s advance to the NBA playoffs, marking the first time an Israeli player reached the league's playoff stage.

The upset win secured Portland the seventh seed in the Western Conference and a matchup against the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round. Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is set for Sunday in San Antonio.

At the end of the first quarter, Phoenix led 33-31, but in the second quarter, Avdija turned on the heat, making several clutch shots and helping the Trail Blazers take a 55-41 lead by halftime. In the third quarter, he also scored several points, helping the team retain a double-digit lead going into the last quarter of play, when Phoenix made a strong comeback, at one point leading 105-97.

The lead changed hands several times in the closing minutes of the game, with Avdija scoring most of the points for Portland leading up to the thrilling finish. Avdija’s teammates, point guard Jrue Holiday, scored 21 points, forward Jerami Grant scored 16 points and shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe scored 12.

After the game, he told reporters, "I think back to the beginning of the season, we weren't very disciplined at staying together and finishing games. I feel like we showed character today. We showed growth, we showed character, we showed we were capable of keeping our composure and making winning plays."

Avdija (25) was born on Kibbutz Beit Zera near the Sea of Galilee. His father, Zufer Avdija, was a professional basketball player in the Yugoslav and Israeli national leagues. He is currently the general manager and president of basketball operations for Bnei Herzliya of the Israeli Basketball Premier League.

Deni Avdija's mother, Sharon Artzi, had a distinguished career in amateur track and field and also played basketball.

Avdija, whose prowess on the court has earned him the nickname “Turbo” has earned many honors during his professional sports career, including winning championships of the FIBA U20 European Leagues in 2018 with Germany and in 2019 with the Israeli national team, when he was named MVP of the season.

In 2020, he was picked 9th overall in the NBA draft by the Washington Wizards and spent four seasons with the team before being traded to the Trail Blazers in 2024.

This year, Avdija was named to the NBA All-Star team and has now become the first Israeli player to reach the NBA playoff stage.

Avdija has been the focus of anti-Israel sentiment in Portland, Oregon, and elsewhere, with protesters occasionally disrupting games and harassing him and his teammates both on and off the court.

There has also been a notable online campaign against him, which is not uncommon for Israeli and Jewish celebrities.